Chapter 18 of Motor Boat Boys Mississippi Cruise is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Motor Boat Boys Mississippi Cruise is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AT THE MOUTH OF THE SUNFLOWER. No one moved immediately. Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling. Jack happened to have his gun in his hand, having just picked it up. But somehow he hesitated to raise it against a human being.
Chapter 18 of Motor Boat Boys Mississippi Cruise is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
-ing form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.”
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading “But somehow he hesitated to raise it against a human being.”
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading “Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.”
any of several small gregarious cetacean mammals having a blunt snout and many teeth
From this reading “Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.”
raise the level or amount of something
From this reading “But somehow he hesitated to raise it against a human being.”
uttered with a trill
From this reading “Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.”
any plant of the genus Helianthus having large flower heads with dark disk florets and showy yellow rays
From this reading “AT THE MOUTH OF THE SUNFLOWER.”
marked by dissimilarity
From this reading “Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading But somehow he hesitated to raise it against a human being.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT THE MOUTH OF THE SUNFLOWER.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading But somehow he hesitated to raise it against a human being.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But somehow he hesitated to raise it against a human being.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
-ing form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading Jack happened to have his gun in his hand, having just picked it up.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Jack happened to have his gun in his hand, having just picked it up.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Jack happened to have his gun in his hand, having just picked it up.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Jack happened to have his gun in his hand, having just picked it up.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Jack happened to have his gun in his hand, having just picked it up.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But somehow he hesitated to raise it against a human being.
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading But somehow he hesitated to raise it against a human being.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jack happened to have his gun in his hand, having just picked it up.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading But somehow he hesitated to raise it against a human being.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading No one moved immediately.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Jack happened to have his gun in his hand, having just picked it up.
a small worthless amount
From this reading Jack happened to have his gun in his hand, having just picked it up.
and nothing more
From this reading Jack happened to have his gun in his hand, having just picked it up.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading AT THE MOUTH OF THE SUNFLOWER.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading No one moved immediately.
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
not any; not one
From this reading No one moved immediately.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AT THE MOUTH OF THE SUNFLOWER.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one moved immediately.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading Jack happened to have his gun in his hand, having just picked it up.
any of several small gregarious cetacean mammals having a blunt snout and many teeth
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
raise the level or amount of something
From this reading But somehow he hesitated to raise it against a human being.
uttered with a trill
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading But somehow he hesitated to raise it against a human being.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
any plant of the genus Helianthus having large flower heads with dark disk florets and showy yellow rays
From this reading AT THE MOUTH OF THE SUNFLOWER.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AT THE MOUTH OF THE SUNFLOWER.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Jack happened to have his gun in his hand, having just picked it up.
marked by dissimilarity
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Jack happened to have his gun in his hand, having just picked it up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
during the time that
From this reading Nick was gasping for breath; and the sound was not unlike that made by a porpoise in swishing through the water while rolling.
Chapter 18 of Motor Boat Boys Mississippi Cruise by Louis Arundel holds 101 sentences, grouped into 21 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 18 holds 101 sentences of Motor Boat Boys Mississippi Cruise, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Motor Boat Boys Mississippi Cruise by Louis Arundel exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 101 sentences, grouped into 21 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 18 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Motor Boat Boys Mississippi Cruise by Louis Arundel on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2675 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21980 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21980, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 222 minutes of reading across 535 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Motor Boat Boys Mississippi Cruise section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Motor Boat Boys Mississippi Cruise to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Motor Boat Boys Mississippi Cruise, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
